By Patrick Ahanor
Benin City
No fewer than 450 witnesses, including Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in 2016 governorship polls in Edo state, are to testify at the ongoing Election Petition Tribunal in the state.
Counsel to the applicants, Roland Otaru (SAN) disclosed this yesterday to reporters in Benin City, even Ize-Iyamu appeared before Justice A. Badamusi-led three -man tribunal.
The plaintiffs are challenging the Independent National Election Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the poll.
Ize-Iyamu is among the 450 witnesses that would be called to the tribunal to challenge INEC’s decision.
After subscribing to the relevant oath, Ize-Iyamu told the tribunal that the right of the PDP and himself to present the petition was borne out the fact that the PDP is a registered political party.
Besides, Ize-Iyamu pointed out that he was the party’s candidate, and therefore has a right to have been elected at the said election.
According to him, the petition was also borne out of the fact that he and the PDP as a registered party participated in the election and were dissatisfied with the conduct in many places that he set in the petition and consequently with the INEC results.
The PDP candidate stated that he adopts his written testimony which read in parts that the second defendant , Obaseki was not duly elected by the majority of votes in the election.
He also said in the testimony that the election of Obaseki is invalid by means of non compliance with the provisions of the Electoral act 2010 as amended and by reason of corrupt practices.
The PDP candidate disclosed that the election in Akoko-edo was characterized and bedeviled by lack of accreditation/ improper accreditation, over voting and specifically the number of accredited voters is less than the total votes cast.
